Needle guard for sewing machines



Feb. 19, 1924; 1,484,191

- q. C. RINGE I Y NEEDLE aqmb FOR 'SEWING MACHINES Filed Aprfl 50'.192:' 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR 7 John 6217 BY a m-4 4;

WITNESSES:

ATTORNEY Feb. 19, 1924.-

.|-.- c. RING E NEEDLE GUARD FOR sswme mcnmss me April 30. 19211 2Sheats-Sheet 2 INVENTg? Jqlm 6'. in BY j ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 19,I924.

stirs:

JOHN c. BINGE, or s'rnnrronn, conn'noricucu, nssieivon To THE SINGERMANUFA Ci .TURING comrnnnor nii znnnrn, NEW JERSEY, A conronn'r on onNEW JEnsnY."

NEEDLE eunnn ron SE ING MACHINES.

Application;filcdApril so, 1921; Serial no. 465,720.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known'that- I, JOHN C. RrNGE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Stratford, in the county of Fairfield and State of-Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in NeedleGuards for Sewing Machines,-of which the following is a specification,reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings. This inventionrelates to improvements in needleand needle-thread loop guarding devices particularly adapted for use inconnection with sewing machines inwhich the needle moves laterally in and relativelyto the material beingoperated upon, as in hemstitching machines.

Lateral movements toward the loop-taker of the needle while in thematerial have a constant tendency to bend or deflect the needle,rendering uncertain the seizure of the needle-thread loop by theloop-taker. This is especially true when operating upon very closelywoven and wiry materials. There is furthermore a tendency, particularlywhen operating at high speed to throw out the needle-thread in theopposite direction from its lateral movement, thereby robbing theneedle-thread loop to be entered by the loop This taker on the otherside of the needle. naturally has also a tendency to occasion skippingof stitches.

The present invention has for its primary object to obviate thesedificulties by the provision of a guarding device functioning toproperly position the needle with respect to the loop-taker and also toback up the needle to prevent the throwing out of a needlethread loop onthe wrong side of the needle.

The invention has also for its object to provide a guarding device forthe purpose referred to permitting adjustment of the lateral throw ofthe needle i. e., of the width of the hemstitch figure.

The invention has for a further object to provide a guarding device ofthis character with means permitting adjustment of the path of movementof the guarding device. Other objects of the invention will be apparentfrom the following description and claims.

In one embodiment of this invention, the present improvement has beenapplied to a hemstit ching machine in which the needle is .reciprocatedendwise and actuated laterally i by well known means to penetratethematerial on andoif the hem-fold. The feeding mechanism of themachine, as usual, includes, a feed-dog to which are imparted twoforward feeding movements and onebackward L feeding movement in theformation of each hemstitchfigure. As is well known, the

to penetraterthe hemffold of-the material needle is caused by itsactuating mechanism immediately following the first forward feedingmovementv of the feed-dog, descending below the work to throwout a loopin mental loop-taker. The needle then rises and the second forwardfeeding movement .properposition for seizure by the complement i. e.,while in the material, it is again moved laterally in the oppositedirection to draw. the threads of the fabric and at the same time tobring the needle-eye into proper i position with respect to theloop-taker beak to form thestitch. The needle then rises and a backwardmovement of the feed-dog occurs while the needle is again movedlaterally to penetrate the material off the .hem-

fold, whereupon a like action occurs while in the material.

It will be seen that in order to provide a needle-guard fora needle ofthischaracter, it is essential that the guard. be out of the i way oftheneedle when penetrating the ma -u! terial off the hem-fold andnevertheless catch up with the needle moving laterally in the materialso as to back up thethread-to insure the formation of the loop on thelooptaker side of the needle and also to insure proper positioning ofthe needle-eye-withwrespect to the loop-taker beak' hate its ends and.actuated from an eccentrio on the loop-taker shaft. The fulcrum 1 J forthe needle-guard is in the form of a. stud eccentrically secured so asto permit adjust-.

ment of the path of movement ofthe needleguard, while the throwofth'e'guard is pref-, erably such as to permit of aslight adjustment ofthe lateralthrowof the needle.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. '1 is a View in elevation andpartlyinsection of the front side of a hemstitching machine em bodyi'ng thepresent improvement. Fig. 2 is V a front end elevation of the same. Fig.3 is a perspective View of the needle-guard, its

supporting stud and its actuating means;

' the point of the'needle is below the throating for the needle-bar.

plate. I

Referring to the drawings, the hemstitching machine in which thepresent-improvement has been embodied is shown as constructedwith a base1 fromwhich rises a hollow standard 2-curving into anloverhanging arm 3.terminating ina head 1. Mount ed for vertical movements in suitable,bearings provided in the head llis theusual pre'sser-bar 5 carrying thepresser-iteet, as '6. Journaled in the overhanging arm is the main-shaft7, carrying atone endthe beltpulley. 8 and at its other, end suitablyconnected bycmeans of shaft-flange 9 and link 10 with'the needle-bar 11'journaled for .ver-c tical reciprocation in the head 1.. Secured bymeans of the screw 12 to the lower :end

.. of theneedle-bar is the bracket 13, carrying the. piercer land uponwhich is tulcrumed,

bymea'nsrof the screw 15, the needle-carrying clamp 16. Theneedle-carrying clamp 16 is'suitably socketed for the reception of the.shank' of the needle 17 secured therein by. means of a set-screw 18.Secured in the needle-clamp 16 by means of the'set-screw 19 andprojecting upwardly therefrom is the needle-vibrating rod 20 of whichthe upperend. is slidingly mounted 'in the swiveljoint21 carried avibratory guide-bar 22 supported at its upper end forswinging movementsupon a pivot-screw 28 threaded into the block 24: affording an upperbear- To steady the swinging movements of theguide-bar-22 the lower endthereof is provided with a guiding fin 25 entering a notch in the block26 affording a lower bearing for the needle bar. 1

Intermediate its ends the guide-bar 22 is suitably connected. with oneend of needlevibratin'g connection 27 of which the opposite end issuitably connected withthe depending end of an arm 28 adjustably securedby means of thescrew 29 in a suitable slideway provided in theradial-arm 80, fulcrumed upon the machine-frame and deriving vibratorymovements from the usual cam-'31 secured upon the secondary shaft 82.

The secondary shaft'32'is suitably journaled inthe machine-frame andcarries a gear-33 in mesh with a pinion 34: secured upon the main-shaft7. It will be apparent that rotation of the main-shaft 7 will,

through the described connections, impart lateral movements to theneedle andthese movements, as is wusualiin hemstitch nachines, cause theneedle to reciprocate once inastraight pathand then twice while lat eralmovements areimparted thereto both in and out of the material for eachhemstitch figure. 7 a c The feeding mechanism comprises a feeddog 35operating through suitable slots 36 provided in the throat-plate 37 andis car ri'ed by the feed-bar 38 actuated in any: suitable manner, oneform of which actuating mechanism is disclosed and described in the V U.S. patent ,to' C. M. Abercrombie, No.

1,271,256, oi July 2, 1918. I As feeding mech- 'anisms of this characterare well known in .the art and as the particularform employed isunimportant to the present invention, it

is deemed unessential to hereindescribe such a mechanism tor a completeunderstanding of the present improvement.

Carried by the main-shaft tie the beltpulley 39 connectedby means of thebelt 40 with the pulley ll suitably secureduponthe loop-taker actuatingshaft 12. The looptaker actuating'shaft 42'is suitably jour naledbeneath the cloth-plate l8 andcarries the bevel-gear 1 1 in mesh with asimilar gear 45 suitably secured upon the loop-taker shaft 46carrying'the loop-taker 47, Y the shafts a2, 46 being journaled tosuit-ably enclosethe bevel-gears 14i, as within a housing 48 securedbeneath the cloth-plate. The construction thus far described comprisesone well known ,form of hemstitching ma-V chine and the several partsthereof cooperate in the usual manner in the formation of hemstitches. VI

Referring now more particularly to the subject of this inventiomaneedle-guard 49 is provided intermediate its ends with a hub 50fulcrumed upon a pivot-screw'5l eccentrically journaledin .a lug 52provided on a plate 58 suitably secured :upon the housing 48 by means ofscrews, aslfil. The c eccentric-stud or pivot-screw 511s secured inadjusted position by means of a set-screw 55.

The lower end of the needle-guard 49 is connected by means of a pitman5.6 andstrap 57 within an eccentric 58 suitably secured ,upon the lower.end of the loop-taker shaft 416,

whereby the upper end of the needle-guard is caused to approach andrecede from the loop-taker through a suitable cut away portion in thefeed-dog 35. The operative face of" the needle-guard is notchedcentrally thereof to a depth indicated bythe, dotted vline 59, in orderto insure its action uponthe needle 17 Referring now more particularlyto Figs 4, 5 and 6 the throat-plate 137 is shown as provided with theusual elongated needleaperture 60 permitting lateral movements thereinof the needle "17 transversely of the direction of feed, and thedot-dash linel.

m-g represents the, loop-takingposition of the loop-taker beak. Fig; 4shows the needle in the position it occupies immediately afterpenetrating the materialiofi' the'hem I fold and just preceding thebeginining of its fabric-thread drawing movement to the right. Theposition of the needle-guard 49 in Fig. 4 indicates that it is out ofthe way of the needle 17 and in fact sufiiciently so to permit a smalladjustment of the lateral throw of the needle. As the needle nowcommences to move to the right while continuing its descent, there is amarked tendenc to spring the needle by its action on the abric-threads,as well as a tendency to, by reason of inertia, throw out theneedle-thread on the left hand side of the needle. In order to overcomeboth of these tendencies, the needle-guard 49 is caused to follow theneedle at a greater rate of speed than that of the laterally movingneedle 17 Fig. 5 shows the needle in its lowest position wherein it hascompleted approximately a half of its lateral movement. It will beobserved that the needleguard is now very close to the needle. Theneedle now begins its ascent while continuing its lateral movement untilit reaches the loop-taking position illustrated in Fig. 6. Theneedle-guard 49 is now close to the needle and insures this position inspite of deflection in the opposite direction from that of its lateralmovement. It is of course to be understood that when the needlepenetrates the material on the hem-fold, i. e., without lateralmovement, the needleguard likewise is in position to back up the needleand its thread to cause the needlethread loop to be thrown out to theright, or in the direction of the loop-taker.

In case it is desired to alter the position of the needle-guard atloop-taking position, it is; only necessary to adjust the eccentricstud51.

Having thus set forth.the nature of th invention, what I claim hereinis 1. In a sewing machine, in combination,

a needle, means for imparting endwise reciprocating movements to saidneedle, a loop-taker complemental to the needle in the formation ofstitches, means for imparting lateral movements to the needle in andrelatively to the material being stitched, a needle-guard, and means foractuating said needle-guard in timed relation with respect to saidlateral movements of the needle to insure in successive stitches asubstantially constant relative position of the needle and loop-takerat' the time of seizure of the needle-thread loop by said loop-taker.

2. In a sewing machine, the combination with stitch-form1ng mechanismincluding a needle and complemental loop-taking means,

movements of the needle to insure in successive stitches a substantiallyconstant position of the needle and loop-taking means iit the time ofseizure of the needle-thread 3. In a hemstitching machine, thecombination with a needle and a loop-taker having a substantiallyconstant position at the time of seizure of the needle-thread loops, andmeans for imparting work penetrating and thread-drawing movements tosaid needle, of a needle-guard retracted out of the way of the needleduring the workpenetrating movements of the latter, and means foractuating said needle-guard at a greater rate of speed than the rate oflateral movement of the needle to correct inadvertent deflections of theneedle.

4. In a sewing'machine, the combination with stitch-forming mechanismincluding a needle and a complemental loop-taker, of a vibratoryneedle-guard, a fulcrum for said needleard, means for oscillating saidneedle-guar upon said fulcrum, and means permitting adjustment of thefulcrum of said needle-guard to vary the position of the latter in aplane of the needle-path of movement whereby to determine the positionof the needle-point with respect to the loop-taker.

5. In a sewing machine, in combination, a needle, a loop-taker, meansfor vertically reciprocating said needle, feeding mechanism, means forlaterally vibrating the needle toward and from said loop-taker in adirection substantially transverse to the line of seam-formation, aguard-device, and means for actuating said guard-device to back up theneedle during its lateral movements toward the loop-taker.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

JOHN G. RINGE.

